14 February 2007

o please be my nonhuman valentine



Lots of human concern today about nonhuman courtship and mating rituals, but only for titillation, to get us in the mood for romance. The San Francisco Chronicle's article with graphic details of the endangered mountain tapir's penis is a good example:
"Tapirs have very large penises relative to their body size," said Brenda Melton, an assistant curator at the zoo. Former penguin keeper Jane Tollini said: "I would describe them as having the most awesome appendages in the zoo." Tollini should know. Eighteen years ago, she created a Valentine's Day sex tour for the public about animal mating habits that has been copied by many zoos in North America. This year she conducted six sessions -- the last is tonight. "The penis bounces on the ground and has a huge bulbous head. It comes out at the drop of a hat and wraps around, like one of those children's party toys," said Tollini, who recalled the reaction to a Baird's tapir during a previous sex tour. "One year, there were a bunch of women who took one look, tipped their heads and had their mouths hanging open like synchronized swimmers."

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